g | matching tracksuits

Orlando 2023 Day 1

Monday 26 June 2023 | 0 Comments

The girls split their games today. They played one team from Charlotte who has beaten them three times this season. Our girls took the first set, and we up 6-1 in the second set, but the other team really kicked into gear and took the second set. We won't talk about the third set...

Discovery of the day: scooters for rent, which is how we traveled back to the hotel from the tournament. (We're only about a mile away from the convention center, so I dropped the Girl off this morning and then drove back to the hotel and walked.) Second discovery of the day: the scooters weren't as cheap as we'd calculated...

As for the Boy, I got a picture from his troop leader:

Since he's in his Class A uniform, I'm assuming this was actually from yesterday.

"He doesn't look thrilled," K texted.

"None of them do," I replied.

Hopefully, he's doing well.

Two Departures

Sunday 25 June 2023 | 0 Comments

The Boy left for Scout camp today:

I've been a little curious and worried about how he might take it: he's not actually going with his own troop because his uncle is coming from Poland with his family that week. "There's no way you're going to camp while Wojek D is here!" K exclaimed, so the Boy is going with a different troop. He knows a few people in that troop, but it's not his troop. He chose the troop he did because he wants to be with his friends, the friends who are going to Scout camp a couple of weeks from now.

The Girl and I, on the other hand, headed off to Orlando today for Nationals. How will her team do? I don't know. Is that so important? Yes, and no.

What is important? Our TV greeted us when we first entered the room...

Legos

Saturday 24 June 2023 | 0 Comments

Where did this come from? The last time I remember doing this with him -- I can't even recall. Two years ago? More? Less?

Play Date

Friday 23 June 2023 | 0 Comments

L insists that the boys are too old now to have play dates.

"They just hangout!" she explains with exasperation.

"What about you? Do you have play dates?"

[L rolls her eyes...]

Bounce and Paint

Thursday 22 June 2023 | 0 Comments

Still in the Basement

Wednesday 21 June 2023 | 0 Comments

Another Day in the Basement and a Scout

Tuesday 20 June 2023 | 0 Comments

Today I put the first coats of paint on the basement walls -- at least half of the wall space. Perhaps a little more than that.

Will it work? Well, it worked today.

More importantly, the Boy made his first BSA rank: scout.

And the Girl? She drove to Asheville to spend the day with her best friend. Yet another sign that she's growing up -- not quite as fast as she thinks she is, but still...

Basement Again

Monday 19 June 2023 | 0 Comments

For the second time now, I'm working to stop water from coming into our basement. I know the real solution to the problem:

I don't have the time to do that now, and we certainly don't have the money. So for now, some bandaids with the hope that they will mitigate the problem to some degree.

One problem: a huge crack in the corner of the basement floor. The fact that there is significant concrete efflorescence tells me that the water on the other side of the wall is significant.

The bandaid? Some hydraulic cement. Will it keep the water out of the basement? I don't know. Will it keep the water out of the concrete? No. To do that, see the video above.

There was one thing I fixed outside the house that might have a more significant impact:

The downspout into our water-collection bin was no longer centered over the opening, meaning that during heavy rain, much of the water just spilled down the side of the house -- the same corner where I discovered the efflorescence.

I corrected that problem, but I'm no longer convinced that it's even worth it to keep the barrel. I also replaced the overflow outlet with a longer piece of PVC so that it wouldn't just dump it into the downspout diverter/channel/plastic-thingy-whatever-the-hell-you-call-it.

It's probably none-too-soon, either: we're expecting up to seven inches of rain this week, which would convert to 9,520 gallons of water coming off our roof.